Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took additional charge of the defence ministry on Tuesday, in light of Manohar Parrikar's resignation to take charge of Goa as its chief minister, soon after the Assembly elections there.

The president, as advised by the prime minister, has directed that Arun Jaitley be assigned the charge of the defence ministry in addition to his existing portfolios, a statement from the President's Office said.

Jaitley had previously also held charge of the defence ministry, briefly, after the inception of the Narendra Modi government – from 26 May till 9 November, 2014, following which the portfolio was handed to Parrikar.

Arun Jaitley. PTI

Parrikar was India's Defence Minister for over two years and is now quitting as he is set to take over the coastal state's mantle again on Tuesday, at the head of a Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

The decks were cleared for Parrikar to take oath as Goa chief minister on Monday, when President Pranab Mukherjee accepted his resignation from the post and assigned it to Jaitley.

"The President has accepted Manohar Parrikar's resignation from the council of ministers with immediate effect under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution," a President's Office statement said.

Parrikar has been chief minister of Goa twice before — from October 2000 to February 2005 and from March 2012 to 8 November, 2014, when he was appointed as the defence minister.

Goa governor Mridula Sinha had asked Parrikar to prove majority on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly. Parrikar had sent a faxed letter of resignation to the Prime Minister's Office ahead of the oath taking ceremony, set for Tuesday at 5 pm at Raj Bhavan in Goa.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh and BJP president Amit Shah are expected to be present at the ceremony.

With inputs from agencies

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